Signature-handling mechanism.



E. 8. KASTF SIGNATURE HANDLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED A'PR.'5. 19 13.

Patented Apr. 25

wwewtoi 9 OFFICE.

EnwAnn-n' msr, or ianmnvroian;manrmnnlassmnon T Kasr INSETTING & GATHERING MACHINE comraiw, or unwyonn, N. Y., A conronarrou or ELA- WARE.

Application filed April 5,11

T0 all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. Kas'r', of

Baltimore, Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Signature-Handling Mechanism, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification. 4

:The present invention relates to signaturehandling mechanism, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple, etlicient and economical means for progressing signatures along the support on which they are mechanically or manually deposited, Heretofore it has been customary to progross groups of signatures along the saddle toward the. stitching mechanism by vmeans of-a continuous conveyer, and to move said groups of signatures past said stitchers by means of reciprocating mechan1sm.s I have experienced that when said continuous conveyers are employed and continuously driven, the signatures instead of being deposited on the support in front o f the .sig nature-engaging means or pinsv carried by said conveyor, are sometimes deposited on the points of said pins, and accordingly some of the signatures, are knocked off of the viated by the employment posited, and v support, and cause defective books. By my present invention, this disadvantage is obotfa reciprocating carrier or conveyer provided with pivoted signature-engaging means/that are elevated into and removed from the path of movement of the. signatures along the support.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating one ,epgoression of the inventive idea, and wherein- Figure 1. is'an end view, partly in section, of a, machine embodying my invention, with some of the parts removed for the saeze of 'clearness; Fig. 2 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, illustratingthe support on which the signatures are dethe means for conveying the signatures along said support; Fig.3 is a View of the reciprocatory carrier. on which the pivoted pins are mounted, and the supportfor said carrier, said parts being separated for the sake of clearness; and Fig; 4

Speeincation of Letters Iatent.

pins 14 pivoted at deposits the signatures.

913. Serial No. 759,115. verteid V shaLped saddle, said saddle' being provided at its apex with a slot 11. Under said saddle there is mounted a suitable guide Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

12, which supports a carrier or conveyer 13,

which s reciprocated in any suitable manner. A plurality of signature-engaging means is carried by said carrier 13, said means, as here shown,

being in the form of 15 to said carrier, pins passing through a slot 16'. Any desired number of these signature-engaging means may be employed, 7 mechanically deposited on the support or saddle 10, one of said pins ispreferably pro vided for each section of the machine which v When the carrier 13 is moving in one. direction, as here shown toward the left, the pins 14 are maintained in an upright position,

pivoted pins 1 1. Adjustably mounted on guides 12 is a plurality of stops 22, which project into the path of movement of said. pivoted pins 1 1, As' the carrier 13 moves toward the right (Fig. 2); each of said pins engages a corresponding stop 22, which results in each pin being forced into an upright position, where it is engaged by its corresponding spring member 17." While in this position, the upper ends of the pins 14 project through the slot 11 of the saddle, and said pinsthen engage the signatures which have been deposited on said saddle, and, upon the movement of: the carrier 13' toward the left, progress the signatures along the-saddle a 'distancecorresponding to the width of one section of an insettiiig the signatures are mechanically deposited.

and if the signatures are as shown in 2, a spring member 17 carried by said carrier held inathe end of its. reciprocation toward the left,

each pin 14 is engaged by the stop 22, which limitsthe extent 'of'movement of said pin to the left," and this engagement disconnects each pin fromits tetaihihgpmenibe'r 17,- and. asthe carrier 13 continuesits fur ther slight movement, the upper projecting 14 is forced downportion of each pin wardly, and the depression 21 in the lower end of each pip is engaged by one of the spring hooks 20., When the spring books are in engagement with the perforations 21, the upper end of each pin is below the path of movement oi the signatures. and the pins being held fixedly in this position, all danger of them rising and contacting with the under face of the signatures supported on the saddle is obviated. It will thus be appreciated that each stop aets to move its emresponding pin into the position shown in Fig. 2, upon the movement of the carrier 13 toward the right, except the extreme lefthand stop, whereas each stop 22, with the exception oi the first or extreme right hand stop, acts on its corresponding pin to :loree the same into the position shown in Fig. Brit being understood that the reciprocatory movement of any given pin is substantiallylimited by the distance between i any two of the stops-22u The carrier13 is recim'ocated in any suitable manner, but preferably the same is connected to, and in effect forms a. continuation of, a carrier bar 13, which is reciprocated through suitable connections, as is fully described and illustrated in my application Serial No. T l-5,973, filed Feb. 3, 1913. Preferably, carrier 13 is secured to carrier 13' through connecting arms 26 and 27 (Fig. 2). i

Carrier 13' is reciprocated along the sin) port or saddle past any suitable stitching mechanisms (not shown), and the groups.

of signatures which are fed past said stitching mechanisms are clamped against said carrier 13 by pivoted fingers or grippers 30. As here shown, said grippers or fingers are mounted on a sleeve 31, which sleeve is reciprocated on a rod having bearings at one end in a bracket 33. Reciprocatory movement is imparted to said sleeve 31 through an arm 35 (Fig. 1), one end of which is secured to carrier 13 and the other end of'which is forked and engages between two collars 36 keyed to sleeve The pivoted fingers or grippers 30 are rocked toward and from the carrier 13, clamping the groups of signatures against said carrier, and progressing them past the stitching mechanism, all as fully described in my application above referred to. It is sufiicient to point out that the movement of said fingers or grippers 30 toward and away from said carrier 13 is effected by means of a pin 37 secured to sleeve 31, which pin projects between two rods 38 and 39, carried by end pieces d0 (Fig. 1), said end pieces being keyed to a rod 41, to which is connected a lever arm d2. The free end of said lever arm is connected to one end of a link 43, the other end of said link being connected to one arm 4.4 of a bell crank lever pivoted at 45, the. other arm 46 of said lever being connected to the upper end of a fork 47, provided with a roller 18 that engages a cam' 49 keyed to shaft When the roller 48 is in engagement with the unbroken surface of said cam, the fingers or grippers 30 are clamping the groups of signatures against carrier 13, and when said roller 48 is in engagement with the cut-away portion of said cam =19, the fingers or grippers 30 are removed from the signatures, and are in position for movement toward the right to engage the next group of signatures. After the groups of signatures have been stitched or stapled, they are preferably fed to any suitable delivery mechanism, by which they are delivered from the machine.

As heretofore statedfthe signatures may be manually deposited on the ,support or saddle 10, or any suitable means may be employed for depositing said signatures, such as those illustrated. described and claimed in my application Serial No. 508,160, filed July 17, 1909.

While, for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment of the inventive idea has been herein described and illustrated in detail, it is apparent that the invention is not restricted to the particular structural embodiment illustrated and described, but that it is susceptible of embodiments conforming to the definition of the invention given in the claims which follow.

\Vhat is-claimed is: i

1. In combination, a support for groups of signatures, a reciprocating carrier or conveyer movable longitudinally of said sup-' port, a plurality of signature-engaging means pivoted on said carrier or conveyer moving said signaturesalong saidsupport, stationary means engaging said pivoted means and projecting the same above said support and depressing the same beneath said support.

2. In combination, a support for groups of signatures. a reciprocating carrier or conveyor movable longitudinally of said support, a plurality of signature-engaging means pivoted on said carrier or conveyer moving said signaturesalong said support, means engaging said pivoted means and projecting the same above said support and depressing the same beneath said support, means holding said pivoted means in their projected position. and means holding said pivoted means in their depressed position.

In combination, a' support for groups of signatures, a reciprocating carrier or conveyer movable longitudinally of aid support, a plurality of signature-engaging means pivotedv on said carrier or conveyor moving said signatures along said support, stationary means engaging said pivoted means and projecting the same above said support and depressing the same beneath said support, means holding said pivoted means in their projected position, and means holding said pivoted means in their depressed position.

4 4-. In combination, a support forgroups ofsignatures, a carrier or conveyer movable longitudinally of said support, a plurality of signature-engagingmeans pivoted on said carrier or conveyor-moving said signatures along said support, means engaging saidpivoted means projecting the same above said support and depressing the same beneath said support, resilient means holding said pivoted means in. their projected posi tion, and resilient means holding said pivoted means in their depressed position.

5. In combination, av support for groups of signatures, a reciprocating carrier or con movable longitudinally .of said sup-v port, aplurality of signature-engaging means pivoted 'on-said carrier or 'conveyer.

moving said signatures along said support,

means engaging said pivoted means and.

projecting he ,same' above said support and depressing the same beneath said support,

means holding said pivoted means in their projected position, and means holding said pivoted means in their depressed position.

7 .In combination, a support for groups of signatures, a reciprocating.oarrieror 0on veyer movable longitudinally of said support, a plurality of signature-engaging means pivoted on said carrier or conveyer moving said signatures alon said support,

' ing scribing Witnesses.

stationary means engaging said pivotedmeans projecting the same above saidsupport and depressing the samebeneathv said support, means holding-said pivoted means 'in their projected position, and means hold-a ing said pivoted means in their depressed position. V n

8. In combination, a support for groups of signatures, a reciprocating carrier or conveyer movable longitudinally of said sn port, a plurality of signature-engaging means pivoted on said carrier or conveyor moving said signatures along said support, means engaging said pivoted means pro ecting the same above said support and depressing the same beneath said support, resilient means holding said pivoted means in their projected position, and resilient means holdsaid pivoted means in their depressed position.

9. In combination, a support for groups of signatures, a reciprocating carrier or conveyer movable longitudinally of said sup? port, a plurality of signature-engaging so f meanspivoted on said carrier or conveyor moving said signatures? along said support, and stationary means arranged beneath said [support engaging said signature-engaging means at the end of each reciprocatory movement ofsald 0&11161, elevating sayi pivoted signatureengaging means when said carrier moves in one direction and do pressing said signature-engaging means when the carrier moves in the oppositedirection. I v

In testimony whereof I have signed'this specification in-the presence of two sub- EDWARD n. KAST.

Witnesses: W. B. IannKAM,

RALPH L. Soo'r'r. 

